Oh what a lucky chap, CD/SACD heaven

[AJSki2fly]

Some of you may have noticed that recently I have been listening to CDs as apposed to my usual fair of Vinyl. Up to yesterday it was with my Audiolab 8300CDQ, as many have stated for the price it renders CDs very, very well, much as do the Audiolab 6000CD or 8300CD players, which are all astonishing good value for their cost. I have been doing so as I wanted to imbed on my brain how CD sounded in my system, prior to taking delivery of yet another piece of kit.

I have missed my Meridian 507 (24 bit) for several years, not a perfect CDP and a little long in the tooth technology wise, but at the time well up there with the best, and still sounds very respectable. A few months ago a very good friend who is also an audio buff decided to upgrade his CDP to the current MARANTZ SA12-SE SACD, he had found one at a very good price, this meant his prized Marantz KI Pearl was going to become available, I discounted this at first.

Since June the months went by and I thought about the Marantz KI Pearl a great deal, and having heard it in his system I new it was very good. In the end I could not resist and asked my friend how much he wanted for it, he purchased it about 5 years ago and was the second owner and it is pristine, very kindly he offered it to me for less than current market value. My intention was to visit him and collect it last month, but family issues for him meant that was unlikely to happen till after Christmas, so he shipped it by UPS and it arrived safely yesterday, along with a couple of RCA leads to try out with it.

I simply was not prepared for just how good this CDP is, I connected it with Terrelium Q Ultra Black II RCAs, powered up and put on a CD and sat back. I got quite a shock the 3D imaging is easily as good as vinyl, a lovely control and revealing bottom end with smooth mids, top end is a detailed and crisp as anyone could want. Well produced recordings with real instruments sound natural and realistic, first I listened to Diana Krall - 'When I Look In Your Eyes'(CD), the detail and clarity was the best I had heard it. Piano rendition has that difficult to achieve depth with harmonics and power that are unique to a piano, Diana Krall's vocal is as natural and pure as I have heard it, the double bass has lovely overtones and I can pick out the detail of the playing, drums are a treat with sharp and precise top-hat/cymbals, overall lovely.

I have since listened to Donald Fagen - 'Morph the Cat'(CD), Pink Floyd - 'Atom Heart Mother' (MFSL CD), and Norah Jones - 'Come Away With Me" (SACD), and some of Bob Dylan - 'Blonde on Blonde' (SACD), and have not been dissappointed in anything thus far.

The depth and clarity from a digital source the Marantz KI Pearl achieves is to my ears quite astounding, I had quite given up on CDs, but with the Marantz KI Pearl it makes it a very enjoyable medium and I will be revisiting my CDs. I think CDs will equally sit alongside the vinyl collection from now on, plus I will be browsing those 2nd hand CD shelves in charity and music shops.

If you get chance to purchase one of these Marantz KI Pearl rarities then do not hesitate, I cannot vouch for the lite version, in my honest opinion I think that you could spend a great deal more to equal it or get much better SQ out of a CDP.

[Barry]

Nice write-up Adrian.

I noticed you have been playing more CDs of late - welcome to the Dark Side.

[AJSki2fly]

Nice write-up Adrian.

I noticed you have been playing more CDs of late - welcome to the Dark Side.

Thanks Barry, I seem to hear the calling for the Dark Side again, having left it for some years.

[Pigmy Pony]

Really pleased for you Adrian, this was on my wish list for a long time, then when I found myself in a position to get one they all vanished. You never see many for sale anyway, clearly people see them as 'keepers'. Nice little review here, which you have probably already seen. Showed their more expensive SA-11S2 player a clean pair of heels apparently.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...fdzCPrAJGj67Z5

[Enossification]

Adrian, have you heard Yola by Eleanor McAvoy on SACD ? It is absolutely stunning.

[AJSki2fly]

Adrian, have you heard Yola by Eleanor McAvoy on SACD ? It is absolutely stunning.

I will see about finding a copy, thanks.

[AJSki2fly]

Really pleased for you Adrian, this was on my wish list for a long time, then when I found myself in a position to get one they all vanished. You never see many for sale anyway, clearly people see them as 'keepers'. Nice little review here, which you have probably already seen. Showed their more expensive SA-11S2 player a clean pair of heels apparently.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...fdzCPrAJGj67Z5

Thanks Steve, I am very, very pleased with it, certainly the best I have heard CDs/SACDs through my system at least. I complete agree with the Stereophile review comment, it gives a lovely musical presentation of the content on a CD.

[loonytunes]

This goes to show that despite the Audiolab being excellent value for the money - it is just that!

It takes a higher-end player like this Marantz to show you that this is really what us 'audiophiles' demand as a minimum - and nothing less! After all it is our hobby.

We like to root around and spend less then show off these budget wonders - we all do - the reality is that we need to up our game and dig deeper into our wallets (unless you are lucky enough to score a second-hand bargain as implied by this purchase).

I have learnt this lesson recently when it comes to streamers - I muck around with all sorts of lovely wallet friendly Chromecasts, Squeezeboxes, and such like - it took the likes of an Auralic G1 Wireless Streaming Transport to teach me that if you spend more you generally get more even though you want to try and prove (and wish) otherwise.

[Firebottle]

Great purchase Adrian, I have been enjoying my CD collection a lot since the digital side of things has come on leaps and bounds.

Not cheap, I'd rather not think about the cost but the performance from standard red book can be amazing.
Need to go hunting in the 2nd storage cupboard to search out some gems.

[AJSki2fly]

This goes to show that despite the Audiolab being excellent value for the money - it is just that!

It takes a higher-end player like this Marantz to show you that this is really what us 'audiophiles' demand as a minimum - and nothing less! After all it is our hobby.

We like to root around and spend less then show off these budget wonders - we all do - the reality is that we need to up our game and dig deeper into our wallets (unless you are lucky enough to score a second-hand bargain as implied by this purchase).

I have learnt this lesson recently when it comes to streamers - I muck around with all sorts of lovely wallet friendly Chromecasts, Squeezeboxes, and such like - it took the likes of an Auralic G1 Wireless Streaming Transport to teach me that if you spend more you generally get more even though you want to try and prove (and wish) otherwise.

Quite agree Chris, unfortunately to get the audiophile resolution a certain level and cost is needed, but that can be tempered with sensible 2nd hand higher end purchases. I was very lucky with the Marantz Pearl